Espreso. Global

Part of occupied ZNPP may need demolition after Russian shelling sparks fire - IAEA chief

5 September, 2024 Thursday
10:35

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi revealed that a cooling tower at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant sustained severe damage in a fire last month and will likely need to be demolished

client/title.list_title

According to Reuters, Grossi's comments followed his latest visit to the site.

On Wednesday, September 4, after his fifth visit to the occupied ZNPP, Grossi stated: "Until today, we hadn't been able to get to this point, high up in the tower, so we can assess in a much better way the damage that occurred. This big structure is not usable in the future, so it will probably be demolished at some point."

Grossi described the fire as one of several "reckless attacks," but he didn’t directly point the finger at Russian forces.

Video footage showed Grossi inspecting a water pumping station, a key facility as water has been scarce since the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine last year. He also toured the nuclear fuel storage site.

Note: A cooling tower is a specialized structure that removes heat from water, primarily through evaporation into the air.

Fire at Zaporizhzhia NPP on August 11

On August 11, a fire broke out at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP, with thick black smoke rising from the site.

Yevhen Yevtushenko, head of the Nikopol District Military Administration, said unofficial reports suggest Russian forces set fire to a large number of tires in the cooling towers, possibly to provoke panic among locals or to stage a provocation.

Energoatom, Ukraine's nuclear power agency, later confirmed: "On August 11, 2024, around 8:00 p.m., a fire occurred at the technical water supply facility on the Zaporizhzhia NPP grounds. Cooling tower number one caught fire, along with some other equipment."

The fire was likely caused either by negligence on the part of Russian troops or by deliberate arson. The damaged cooling tower is about a kilometer from the plant's reactor units.

By early morning on August 12, the radiation levels at the plant remained within normal limits, and there was no immediate threat of contamination to the population.

IAEA observers also reported heavy dark smoke following evening explosions at the NPP and speculated about a possible drone strike on the cooling tower.

The ZNPP team reported a possible drone strike today on one of the cooling towers. No immediate risks to nuclear safety have been observed, the IAEA said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed: "As long as Russian terrorists control this nuclear plant, the situation cannot be considered safe." He called for global action against what he described as another provocation by Russia.

Meanwhile, Russia claimed that the fire in the cooling systems was caused by Ukrainian shelling.

On August 12, IAEA experts inspected the damaged cooling tower but couldn’t determine the exact cause of the incident.

Tags:
Read also:
  • News
2024, Thursday
19 September
21:00
OPINION
Trump and Harris to meet with Zelenskyy
20:38
Exclusive
Ukraine may target 7 more similar military storage bases: expert on Russian arsenal attack
20:08
Updated
Russia attacks Sumy geriatric house, killing one person, wounding 13 others
19:40
Russia mines dams in Belgorod region - Kharkiv troops grouping
19:17
Exclusive
Russian forces attempt to assault on motorcycles in Siversk sector - Ukrainian military
18:55
Power outages may last up to 18 hours per day in Ukraine in winter - UN mission
18:33
Ukrainian media are agents of change despite war - Internews Network president
18:16
Exclusive
Kyiv decides to play ahead: political analyst Fesenko on Ukraine's victory plan
17:54
Russia attacks medical facility in Sumy region twice, injuring two people
17:32
Leopard tanks, self-propelled howitzers, drones: Germany hands over new aid package to Ukraine
17:13
How many arsenals of Russia's MoD are within Ukraine's reach?
16:55
Lukashenko meets DPR's Pushilin, defends cooperation as legal
16:30
Germany prepares €400 million emergency aid package for Ukraine
16:17
OPINION
Sanctions against Russia's "shadow fleet": underway, but insufficient
15:56
European Commission President von der Leyen announces visit to Kyiv on September 20
15:42
NATO's reluctance to shoot down Russian drones: What lessons can it learn from Ukraine's air defense
15:24
European Parliament calls to lift limits on Ukraine's strikes against Russia
14:57
EU allocates €400 million from frozen Russian assets for Ukrainian weapons, more to come — EU Ambassador
14:46
Exclusive
Strategic strike plans in place: Insights into Ukraine's planning process
14:26
Russian Defense Ministry pressures Putin to announce new mobilization
13:58
EU to allocate €160 million to Ukraine for energy security
13:35
KN-23 missiles
Russia's main allies in war against Ukraine: what they supply to Russian army
13:15
Crimea could be placed under UN mandate for "fair referendum" — Polish FM Sikorski
12:58
OPINION
Why Erdogan should not be considered Ukraine’s ally
12:32
Ukraine could join EU by end of this decade, says EU Ambassador
12:16
Exclusive
Russia deploys more forces to attempt advance on Lyman-Kupyansk direction - Kara Nebesna UAV crew commander
11:53
Exclusive
Strike on warehouses in Tver region will impact long-range weapon usage approval — military expert
11:28
Russia's September 19 missile, drone attack on Ukraine kills one civilian
11:05
Ukrainian strikes on Russian military depots may change entire combat theater - ISW
10:34
187 combat clashes errupt on Russian-Ukrainian frontline over last day — Ukraine's General Staff
10:18
Harris to meet Zelenskyy in Washington next week – Bloomberg
09:57
Russia loses 1,130 troops, 14 tanks and 13 armored vehicles in one day of war in Ukraine
09:37
Europe should be ready for war with Russia in 6-8 years — European defense chief
2024, Wednesday
18 September
21:20
Interview
"Where Russians committed atrocities, people greeted us on knees”: Ukrainian soldier’s story
20:54
At least 575 Ukrainian children killed as result of Russia's armed aggression
20:40
'US military aid to Ukraine draws world closer to brink of Armageddon': foreign manipulations for September 18
20:22
Russian drone drops explosives, injuring five civilians in Ukraine’s Kherson
20:10
What weapon might Ukraine have used to strike Tver ammo depot in Russia
19:55
103 combat engagements recorded in frontline, mostly in Kurakhove, Pokrovsk sectors
19:40
Ukraine may have struck Russian warehouse in Mariupol with Neptune missile
More news